Smittybuilt XCR8 8000lb Winch $300

Only time will tell.... did I make a "good deal"

Ordered this... $303 shipped out the door

http://www.4wd.com/subcategories.aspx?cid=28&jeep-sid=195

There's a thread on Pirate about these, mostly favorable initial impressions, although there hasn't been any definitive testing, just impromptu pulls.

*edit* Apparently some 4wd publication did some testing and the cable failed at 9k+ pounds, before any other problems were experienced. If you look around there are several writeups in various forums. Most are blocked from my office, so I'll have to hear the good/bad news later.*edit*

Had the money set aside for the M8000, but at this price I can get the synthetic winch line and hawse for the same total price.

Won't have it mounted for a while, had to ship it to the fam. I'll be home in Oct for a wedding and I'll strip the wire and fairlead out so it'll make USPS weight restrictions to ship here.

Ciao

Vince

Do you have a link for the Pirate thread? I can't seem to find any reviews of this winch.

It may be just what you're looking for if you don't rely on a winch all of the time and live in a low-corrosion area. Pay attention to maintenance, as this brand doesn't have a track record like most of the "big boys", and parts availability may be an issue. If you have a motor or solenoid failure in a couple years, will you be able to get what you need to fix it?

I gotta say, it looks like it's based on the same design that the M8000 and Ramsey REPs are built on, and I wouldn't be suprised if it's a rebadged winch from a known supplier. Then again, it may be a knock-off with inferior engineering, although I'm pretty sure that 4WDH wouldn't get involved with something that is clearly dangerous.

Enjoy it and let us know. It may be a viable rear winch for those that are considering that option.

I agree with Alaska Mike about it looking like a M8000

IIRC Smittybilt was bought by the parent company of 4wheelparts, Trans-America(sp?) and they also purchased 4wheeldrive hardware, so it would be a in house type of deal.

Also I would have to look in past issues of Petersen's for the comparison of a "Harbor Freight" Winch and the M8000... they were identical.

does any body know what issue that was?

Sorry I can't access Pirate (or most forums)from work, I think the thread was in the General 4x4 thread.
*edit* Home now, here ya go.

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=590833

*edit*
This winch is getting alot of attention right now. There are threads in most major 4x4 forums, IH8MUD, Jeepsunlimited, Pirate, NC4x4 are just a few of the places I have read about this winch.

The thread on pirate has probably the best info, side x side visual comparisons with the M8000, weights, and internal pics.

Thanks for the link. It certainly looks viable if you don't winch a lot or aren't in a hurry when you do. I would consider picking up some spare solenoids just in case (if you can get them) and consider this a good buy. The Milemarker electrics I've see have had issues with them. With only two solenoids, it doesn't take much for them to fail.

I'm still not trading in my 8274-50, though. Glacially slow winches make trail rides painfuil when you're doing multiple extractions.

The 8274-50 is a beauty, but...

Weighs 110lbs with cable!

Won't fit in my $900 bumper without serious modification to the bumper and truck.

Is freakishly tall, my current bumper tucks the winch partially under the grill which keeps that weight closer to the wheels.

Uses different mounting configuration than any other winch that I have ever seen. Why?

And yes it for more than twice the price of other equally capable 8000lb winches. Although I will say that in this case price is not really a factor. I have passed on several(3) used 8274s that sold for 1/3 the retail price. So there are some deals out there. More than I can say for the M8000, I never see those for sale used!

All that to save a few minutes? Awsome winch, but not for everybody!

I paid $25 for my used M8000. Came with no cable and not unexpectedly turned out to need a motor. Got one off fleabay for $200.

I've a love/hate relationship with the way that the 8274 mounts. The design removes the shear loading of the mounting bolts that most other winches employ. I see that as a good thing. Ideally bolts should never see anything except tension and in that design the bolts really only hold the winch from falling off the vehicle, they take no winching loads.
The problem with that design is that it forces an ungainly and usually very heavy mount design.

Having worked with an 8274 in places like Surprise Canyon I would not have anything else were I needing a winch for frequent use. I suspect that the 8k rating is very conservative, and no planetary I've seen yet can match it's combo of speed and pull.

Note that my M8 is still cable-less after ~6 years and is still sitting on the garage floor. That's how often I've needed a winch.

For the way I'd use a winch, the Smitty looks like a decent option.

I just ordered one myself. I was looking for a winch for a while for my Troopie.

This is only to be used in some rare occasions, so it should be all right.

How did it come up to $303? I had to pay 30$ shipping, so my total is $333...



thanks for suggesting this!

Christian

SEREvince said:

The 8274-50 is a beauty, but...

Weighs 110lbs with cable!

Won't fit in my $900 bumper without serious modification to the bumper and truck.

Is freakishly tall, my current bumper tucks the winch partially under the grill which keeps that weight closer to the wheels.

Uses different mounting configuration than any other winch that I have ever seen. Why?

And yes it for more than twice the price of other equally capable 8000lb winches. Although I will say that in this case price is not really a factor. I have passed on several(3) used 8274s that sold for 1/3 the retail price. So there are some deals out there. More than I can say for the M8000, I never see those for sale used!

All that to save a few minutes? Awsome winch, but not for everybody!

Click to expand...

Certainly the 8274 is not for everyone.

However, in my application where multiple, full length, mostly off-center pulls are common during a day of wheeling, the 8274 is king. A M8000 can do 80ft of cable reliably (100' if it's spooled perfectly). An 8274 can do 150' with the nastiest spool imaginable and still not bind.

Up here, I see M8000s (and similar winches) for sale much more frequently than 8274s, and the 8274 is usually snapped up much quicker.

I expect that the Smittybuilt will be seen frequently up here, based purely on price. You're right, the 8274 is an expensive, heavy beast that won't mount to a lot of bumpers, but I wouldn't trade mine for the world.

We also ordered one for testing in the Xterra... For now it is just the waiting game as to when it will arrive.

flyingwil said:

We also ordered one for testing in the Xterra... For now it is just the waiting game as to when it will arrive.

Click to expand...

Mine arrived in under a week ordered 30 July called the in laws on 6 Aug and it was already there.

Now I just have to get it here!

I havn't seen a side by side yet... but it looks identical to the MM 8000 lb winch... right down to the controller. I can guarantee they come from the same Chinese factory based on the pics. From an installers point of view, some of these units are a major PITA to install... I've found inconsistancies in the mounting patterns, low quality hardware included, crimped connectors falling off right out of the box, DOA controllers, etc. All issues that can be sorted out of course, just extra time...

I've been around a couple of the electric MM winches on the trail... SLOW is the word. I've seen 20 year old Warn winches still working like the day they were new, we'll see where all these "entry level" (Martyn @ AT coined that term in my book ) winches end up. Though, if you have the money for a $300 winch, but not a Warn... buy it.

I've had my share of experience with just about all of them, Champion, Tabor, HF, Superwinch, Ramsey etc... at the end of the day both of my rigs are sporting Warns. Its not that Warns are indestructable, but they have a lifetime warranty, and a lifetime warranty on an already solid base means alot to me

I though Megawinch made the slowest winch out there, but my experiences with MileMarker have shown me just how wrong I can be.

Slow winches are nice for delicate extractions, and certainly can be safer (things don't happen as fast). If you need a winch maybe once a year or less, you probably don't need the fastest/heaviest winch on the block. You just need a basic, reliable tool to get you back on your way. My suggestion of getting extra solenoids for this (or any 2 solenoid winch) is to ensure that if you use the winch infrequently, it works when you need it. 2 solenoid winches generally don't take much corrosion on the contacts before they stop flowing sufficient current and turn into boat anchors. Battery cables and solenoids are two of the highest fail items I see, and while battery cables are easy to clean, solenoids are not. It's just a little piece of mind when you're out in the backcountry.

Well we got the Smittybilt XRC-8 all installed prior to installation we wanted to take a good look at the internals of the winch:




I am glad we decided to look inside. Look what we found.


Unfortunately this was not the only spot we found Styrofoam packed into the grease! We re packed the winch with grease and in total found 9 balls of Styrofoam (the size of a BB). You can 4 other "chunks" in the picture above (wiped on the cardboard).

The solenoid (control box) is not water tight and is overly large for what was in it. With the Shrockworks bumper it would not allow enough room in to mount the unit using the bracket included with the XRC-8. We drilled out the rivets that held the plastic cover on and the solenoid to the base plate. The bracket that held it to the base plate fit perfectly on a cross member on the front of the Xterra.



Since the Shrockworks bumper has a location for a winch plug in, we relocate the controller plug there. I wonder who makes the SmittyBilt winch?



Seemed comparable to the Mile Marker's in sound from what I have used. As shown in the picture above, Mile Marker Labels were found on the wires markings after cutting through shrink wrap and a protective cover... so it might just be a re-badged Mile Marker.

Things in Common With the Mile Marker PE8000:

• Roller Fairlead
• Control Box Mounting bracket
• Weight
• Drum Size
• Motor
• Overall Dimension (LxWxH)

I should be able to get out there and hook the X up to the Taco and see how it does tomorrow.

Great info, I'm looking forward to seeing your initial impressions of it in action.

I doubt that those styrofoam balls would have any effect on short or long term operation, but it does show a lack of attention to detail. Not to be unexpected for $300.

Are the solenoid covers on Warn winches watertight?

Could you waterproof the Smittybuilt or would that cuase any issues due to heat?

Cheers

Vince